


Rebirth

by EnInkahootz



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Incredible Hulk (2008)
Genre: Angst, Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, De-integration, Dreams, Dreamscapes, Endgame Fix-It, Friendship, Gen, Guilt, He is more than just his physical traits, Healthy Multiplicity, Hulk deserves his own separate existence, I did not like the integration plot in Endgame, Multiple Personalities, Multiplicity/Plurality, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Post-Canon Fix-It
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-08
Updated: 2019-06-08
Packaged: 2020-04-23 01:38:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19140982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EnInkahootz/pseuds/EnInkahootz
Summary: Some time after the events ofAvengers Endgame, Hulk contacts Bruce in their dreams and tells him that he is no longer content to be one person.





	Rebirth

The dream had begun mundanely enough. Bruce was typing on an old-fashioned computer, but the screen was playing the 1960 musical movie _Bells Are Ringing_ with Judy Holliday looking straight at the camera for all of her songs. Bruce typed in what he wanted to say to her, his fingers clicking against the hard, plastic keys. She was flirting with him, and it was all just lovely - until large green subtitles appeared across the screen and the character’s voices grew muted, their lips moving silently. The words weren’t in any language Bruce could recognize. The letters were completely unfamiliar. He looked down at the keyboard and saw the letters there had changed as well. Speaking aloud, he asked Judy Holliday what had happened, but she only stopped looking at him and turned her focus to Dean Martin.

Suddenly Bruce heard a roar in the distance. A familiar roar.

“Hulk?” he asked tentatively. The computer faded away and everything went dark.

“Banner,” Hulk yelled from far away.

Bruce wasn’t sure what to do. He hadn’t dreamt about Hulk as a separate person since before they agreed to integrate. He didn’t know what this meant. He heard the thumps of heavy footsteps running toward him.

“Banner,” Hulk shouted again, and this time his voice sounded closer.

“I’m over here,” Bruce called. And then Hulk appeared before him.

“What’s wrong?” Bruce asked.

“Hulk need talk to Banner.”

“Okay.”

The dim space around them slowly illuminated, and Bruce observed that a table with two chairs had appeared between them. Bruce sat down.

“Hulk need talk to Banner,” Hulk said again.

“What, tell me.”

Hulk sat awkwardly on the other chair. Bruce looked at him across the table. Hulk opened and closed his mouth a few times, trying and failing to speak. Bruce could see the frustration on Hulk’s face, as well as a deep sadness that he had never noticed before.

“Hulk want be separate,” Hulk finally announced. His tone displayed an attempt to express dominance, but his vulnerable eyes betrayed him. “Separate, take turns,” he added.

“You want to be separate people again?” Bruce asked with shock.

Hulk nodded, and the desperation in his face was plain.

“But, but,” Bruce stammered, “you said this was what you wanted.”

“Banner wanted. Hulk say okay.”

Bruce could feel his guilt as though it would suffocate him. Had he coerced Hulk into the integration? Had he only done what was best for himself and ignored Hulk’s personhood?

“I, I’m sorry,” Bruce said in a small voice.

“Hulk say okay before because Banner live on Earth and Earth hate Hulk. Why Hulk bother exist when only get hate? Hulk exist for battle, only battle, then fail when Thanos attack. Hulk not even good for battle. Hulk good for nothing. Why exist? No point.”

“I, I didn’t understand,” Bruce replied with horror. “I’m sorry,” he repeated.

“Hulk thought would feel better be one person with Banner. Earth not hate Banner. Banner had,” he paused and the frustrated expression gripped his face for a few moments as he struggled to find the words, “Banner know what it mean to have someone love him. Love for real. Hulk want know what that like.”

Bruce could feel Hulk’s sadness as his own, and he began to cry, though Hulk’s cheeks remained dry.

“But then Hulk not feel love. Hulk only feel gone. Hulk look at Banner memory of love, Hulk watch Banner get love, and Hulk feel sad. Hulk never have, Hulk can never have because Hulk gone. Hulk only little part of Banner now. No one can love Hulk when Hulk gone. Hulk miss Hulk. Hulk want come back. Hulk want come back. Banner. Please.”

“Uh, um, yes, of course, I, I never meant to force it on you,” Bruce replied through his tears.

Hulk’s face broke into a grin full of gleeful innocence, and Bruce despised himself for what he had done to him.

“Banner can do it? Separate? Banner know how?”

“Uh, let me just do some calculations. I should be able to reverse the science I used to integrate us.”

As though the dreamscape was responding to Bruce’s need, a modern-day computer screen appeared in the space in front of him. Everything was in that strange language, but somehow Bruce could read it this time. Though focused on his work, Bruce saw in his peripheral vision that Hulk was watching him intently. Bruce glanced at him, and Hulk smiled.

Bruce had to work for a long time. Every time he thought he had it figured out, he realized he had forgotten to account for something.

“Hulk hungry,” Hulk pouted after too long had passed.

“Oh, uh, well, it’s a dream,” Bruce told him distractedly, “try imagining what you want to eat.”

He heard Hulk making grunts of effort for a few long moments. Bruce was just about to pause his work and try doing it himself when he heard Hulk clap with delight, the sound booming throughout the open space. Bruce looked at him.

“Hulk make food,” he exclaimed proudly with a gesture to the many full plates that now covered the table. He picked up a large turkey leg from the platter nearest to him and took a hearty bite.

“Banner want share?” he asked with a full mouth.

Bruce smiled at him.

“Thank you. Maybe later.”

Hulk was content to occupy himself with his feast while Bruce continued his work. Bruce struggled for what felt like hours and hours, but before he could achieve his goal, he woke up.

~

“Banner,” Hulk yelled in his face the following night, and Bruce knew he was again in their dreamscape.

“I researched all day and I still didn’t figure it out,” Bruce confessed with regret. 

Hulk looked like he was about to cry, but only for an instant before he appeared enraged.

“Why take so long,” he roared, then materialized a lead ball in his hand and a brick wall to aim it at. The wall crumbled.

“I’m sorry. But I’ll work it out. I’ll bring you back. I’ll fix this.”

“Okay, Banner,” Hulk replied, sounding hopeless and disbelieving. He materialized a bed and lay in it, rolling over with his back to Bruce. “Wake Hulk if you fix.”

His use of the word ‘if’ landed like a slap against Bruce’s cheek. He _had_ to undo his mistake. This was a matter of _when_ , not _if_.

But another three nights and days of calculations and research came and went without success.

~

“Banner sad too,” Hulk observed one night.

“Yes.” Bruce didn’t look away from the screen.

“Banner sad not fix yet?”

“Yes.”

There was silence for a time, and Bruce still didn’t look at Hulk because his guilt was threatening to suffocate him again and he didn’t think he could survive any more. 

Then he felt Hulk clap him on the back - a restrained, amiable motion.

“Hulk know Banner tries.”

~

In time it was Bruce who was imagining up walls to smash; such was his frustration. Hulk was sweet and helpful - giving words of encouragement and making them food - and it only made the guilt worse.

“Banner take break,” Hulk encouraged one night.

“No,” Bruce bellowed.

“Banner take break,” Hulk yelled even louder.

Bruce gave a resigned sigh.

“Alright.” He rubbed his temples. His head was throbbing. He collapsed into the plump armchair that Hulk had materialized for him.

“Hulk make drink for you.”

A side table appeared next to the chair, and a cup of steaming tea sat waiting for him. Bruce could smell the blend: it was his favorite. He took a sip of the tea, and Hulk looked pleased, then sat in a chair beside him and appeared a television for them to watch.

~

“Maybe Banner cannot fix with science,” Hulk suggested one night.

“What is that supposed to mean,” Bruce replied defensively.

“Maybe science is not answer.”

“What else could the answer be?”

Hulk shrugged and plopped down on the couch he had made.

“Maybe just do it. Like when make food here, bed, couch, tv… just do it.”

Bruce stared at him incredulously.

“Maybe Hulk just push through. Hulk strong.”

Could it possibly be that simple? After months of straining to puzzle out the solution, could it truly be a matter of raw willpower?

“Let’s try,” Bruce finally agreed.

“Really?” Hulk replied, surprised, “Hulk have good idea?”

“Yes,” Bruce told him with a smile. “I don’t know if it will work, but my way certainly hasn’t gotten us anywhere. Our dreamscape obviously has some kind of power, and you clearly have good command over it. Using that power to de-integrate us is a great idea to explore. You thought of something that never occurred to me.”

Hulk looked like a proud child, and Bruce felt determined to rescue him, to protect him. He sat on the couch beside Hulk. He closed his eyes and focused on his breath. He imagined opening himself up. He imagined gathering up the part of him that was Hulk and setting it free to reform as its own entity. He imagined the two of them taking turns with the body. Bruce would make up a schedule. They would write each other notes in the day, and meet at night in their dreamscape to talk, and eat, and watch television. Hulk could form his own relationships with others. He could have friends and move past the idea that everyone on Earth hates him. Maybe he would meet someone special and get to be loved in the way he longed for. That was what Bruce wanted for him: happiness.

“Do it,” Bruce stated serenely, “I’m ready.”

Nothing happened at first. Bruce kept his eyes closed and listened to Hulk’s grunts of effort.

“Too hard,” Hulk yelled after a while, but Bruce could feel that he was still trying.

“Don’t give up. Remember: Hulk strong,” Bruce encouraged.

“Hulk strong,” Hulk roared, his confidence seemingly renewed, and Bruce felt something in his chest tear open. He groaned in pain and his hand flew to the spot where he was horrified to find an actual, bleeding wound.

“No, no,” Hulk said, panicked, “Hulk hurt Banner.” He picked Bruce up and lay him on a bed that suddenly appeared.

“I’m okay,” Bruce said, but then he coughed blood.

“No, no,” Hulk whispered.

“It’s a dream,” Bruce reminded him, “you can heal me.”

“How, tell Hulk how.”

“The same way you make everything here. The same way you contacted me here in the first place. Your willpower. You know how to manipulate things here. Just imagine me healing,” Bruce explained, straining to keep his voice steady and reassuring through the pain.

Hulk stood over him, his face showing unveiled fear. Bruce gave him the best smile he could manage, wanting to encourage him. Hulk gave a tiny smile back, though Bruce could tell he wanted to cry. Hulk closed his eyes. Bruce waited, covering the wound with a portion of the sheet and applying pressure. After a few long minutes he felt something. The flesh beneath the sheet was tingling, straining to mend. But it didn’t happen right away, and Bruce coughed more blood.

“Hulk fail, Hulk fail, always fail,” and now Hulk was actually crying, “Banner, please not die, please.”

“Don’t stop, you’re doing it,” Bruce panted, “I can feel the wound trying to close, you’re doing it, don’t give up.”

An expression of determination took over Hulk’s features.

“Hulk will save Banner,” he declared, then stared fiercely at the bloodied sheet that hid Bruce’s injury. 

Bruce felt the edges of flesh rush together like opposing magnets. He gasped. He felt invisible rope stitching over the wound, securing its closure. He looked down and saw that the blood was gone from the sheet. He removed it to find nothing but a healed over scar.

“Hulk did it,” Hulk exclaimed with a wide grin.

“Thank you,” Bruce said, catching his breath. Hulk appeared a glass of water for him.

“Thank you,” Bruce said again. As he took a slow sip, his other hand patted where the wound had been. Bruce realized that he could feel the scar from the inside, but it didn’t hurt. It was like a slight buzzing beneath the skin, an eager, but not violent, energy.

“Banner okay?”

“Yes,” Bruce replied, “and I think we might still be able to do this.” 

“Hulk not want hurt Banner again.”

“I’ll be okay. If something goes wrong, you can heal me again.”

Hulk looked away, but nodded in agreement.

“We can take a break first,” Bruce said, and they watched an episode of _Friends_ over an array of snacks.

~

“Hulk be gentle this time,” he assured Bruce after their break. Bruce lay on the bed. Hulk held his enormous hand above the scar. They both closed their eyes.

Bruce slowed his breath and Hulk matched his inhales and exhales. Bruce focused on their breathing. He felt the tingle in the scar intensify and opened his eyes to make sure the wound hadn’t reopened. He found the skin intact, but the scar was emitting a curl of green flame. It didn’t shed heat, but it flared, and Bruce gasped as his body suddenly convulsed.

“Banner okay?” Hulk asked frantically.

“Yes, go on,” Bruce replied breathlessly.

The cool, green flame was sucked into Hulk’s open palm, and then he convulsed too, but didn’t fall over.

“Are you alright?” Bruce asked.

“Hulk almost back,” he cried out, the green flames suddenly engulfing them both, and Bruce struggled to remain open enough to let him go, to let Hulk be reborn -

_Hulk woke up in Banner’s bed. With elation, he patted his body - his own body, real and solid and just as it had been before the merge. He and Banner had succeeded. Hulk existed, Hulk was himself, and he was happier than he could ever remember being._

_He tried to imagine a pen and paper into existence before he recalled that he could only do that in their dreamscape. He got up, enjoying the solid sensation of the floor beneath his feet, and riffled through the room until he found what he needed._

_“Banner we did it,” Hulk scrawled on the note, “make schedule,” he added, then stepped back inside, allowing Banner use of the body, for now._

 

~Epilogue~

In their dreamscape that night, Bruce showed Hulk his favorite movie to celebrate their success. Hulk made far more movie snacks than they needed. Bruce wasn’t sure whether or not Hulk would enjoy a musical, but _Bells Are Ringing_ turned out to delight him. He swayed to all the songs, and afterwards told Bruce how pretty he thought Judy Holliday was. The following night they watched an action movie of Hulk’s choosing, but Bruce heard Hulk humming _Just in Time_ under his breath.


End file.
